.KEYWORD ppeditorial0201
.FLYINGHEAD FROM THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
.TITLE A more perfect HotSync interface
.DEPT
.SUMMARY Do you like the HotSync interface? Do you think it could be better? Do you wish for more compatibility among devices? So does PalmPower Editor-in-Chief David Gewirtz. In this trend-setting article, he outlines PalmPower’s call for a new, standardized HotSync interface. It may be key to the next step in the growth of the Palm economy.
.AUTHOR David Gewirtz
This month, I’ll be talking about PalmPower’s recommendation for an improved (and standardized) HotSync interface. But first, let’s cover some background information.
The Palm OS platform is amazing. You can do wonderful things with these products, and there’s a huge base of developers who build cool add-on hardware and software for Palm devices.
With millions of users, over 140,000 registered developers, and products shipping to more than 35 countries, you’d think the Palm OS platform was a rock-solid standard. Ah, but you’d be wrong.
Or, at least, you’d be somewhat wrong.
As you know, there are Palm devices produced by Palm, Inc. Then there are devices produced by other companies, like Handspring. Three key factors unite all these devices:
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.BULLET They can run much of the same software because the OS is compatible between the devices;
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.BULLET They all HotSync with desktop computers;
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.BULLET Their screens are all 160 by 160 pixels, which makes writing software interfaces pretty consistent.
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But there are differences as well. Since the beginning (when the Pilot 1000 was introduced), there have been more than 30 different models of Palm OS compatible devices released across all the different manufacturers.
.H1 Differentiation strategies
Although there have been a few nearly exact clones (the IBM WorkPad and the Palm III for example), most devices are physically differentiated in a variety of ways. For example:
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.BULLET The Palm V and Palm Vx are smaller and sleeker;
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.BULLET The Palm m100 has a window for a clock;
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.BULLET The Palm IIIc and the Visor Prism have color screens;
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.BULLET The Handspring devices have Springboard modules;
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.BULLET The TRGpro has a slot for a CompactFlash card;
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.BULLET The Sony device has a MemoryStick slot;
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.BULLET The Kyocera Smartphones are also telephones;
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.BULLET The Symbol devices have integrated bar code scanners for industrial use.
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The challenge for these manufacturers (in addition to the basics of building reliable products and delivering dependably) is to both support a standard, and to stand out. As any product marketing person will tell you, this can be quite a challenge.
The way all Palm OS platform devices support the standard (at least thus far) is to support running the majority of Palm OS software. In effect, they’re all Palm OS machines. And the way most of these manufacturers have decided to set themselves apart is in terms of hardware functionality. From a differentiation standpoint, it makes a lot of sense.
Let’s take Handspring, for example. A year or so ago, there really wasn’t much of a compelling reason to buy a Handspring Visor over a Palm device. Yes, there was the Springboard slot, but there weren’t all that many modules. But the folks at Handspring did a gutsy thing: they designed the expansion slot and sold their products mostly (there was a bit of a price advantage for a while) on the promise of future expansion. I’ve recently spent some time with a Visor and a bunch of Springboard modules, and they’re proving to be quite compelling. So the strategy of differentiating through a proprietary expansion slot is working for Handspring.
Ah, but I did say "proprietary." TRG also differentiates through an expansion slot. Their TRGpro supports a CompactFlash slot. This means, among other things, that you can put an IBM Microdrive (at http://www.storage.ibm.com/hardsoft/diskdrdl/micro/index.htm) into a Palm OS device and have up to a gigabyte of storage in your Palm OS device. Amazing.
But here’s the thing: you can’t use Good Technology’s SoundsGood MP3 player (at http://www.good.com) in your TRGpro. And you can’t use the IBM Microdrive in a Visor. And so while you can stick a gigabyte of music on your Palm OS device, you can either put it there (using the TRGpro) or play it (using the SoundsGood on a Visor), but not both.
OK, fine. It’s reasonable for us, as consumers, to support the battle among these manufacturers to differentiate themselves based on the factors identified above. Will Sony’s MemoryStick inspire a lot of add-ons beyond Sony’s own memory upgrades and the little camera they recently showcased? Honestly, I don’t know. But I’m beginning to doubt it.
That’s because it’s a challenge for hardware manufacturers to tool up and support a wide variety of platforms. The only way the TRGpro supports the IBM Microdrive is because the TRGpro supports a standard interface common across many different types of electronic equipment. But you’re probably not going to see the eyemodule folks (they make the little add-on Springboard module camera at http://www.eyemodule.com) also support the Sony CLIE.
As a consumer, I can accept incompatibility and differentiation in this area. We consumers will vote with our checkbooks and certain add-on architectures will win (probably the Springboard) and some will lose.
.H1 That old syncing feeling
But there’s another area of incompatibility with only limited differentiation that I just can’t accept: the HotSync accessory interface. Every Palm device has a HotSync connector that allows it to be docked with a cradle. The cradle lets information flow smoothly between desktop computer and handheld.
This is an area where many Palm OS device users are investing quite a lot in add-on accessory hardware (often more than the handheld computer itself). For example, many of us have additional cradles (often at about $50 a piece), add-on keyboards (there goes another hundred bucks), travel chargers ($40 or so), a modem (cha-ching at $99), and more.
And yet, whenever you buy a new Palm OS device, all these add-ons often must be chucked. That’s because there’s tremendous incompatibility between HotSync connectors even among a manufacturer’s own models. Let’s assume, for example, that you have a Palm V and want to upgrade to a sexy new Visor Prism. And let’s further assume that you have a keyboard, an extra cradle, and a travel charger. If you need the same items on your Visor Prism, you’re no longer just spending $449 on a PDA. You’re also spending $49.99 on a second cradle, $99 on a keyboard, and $34.99 on a travel charger. In effect, to gain no net new functionality, you’ve got to spend $185 (plus tax and/or shipping). That’s more than most of the basic Palm devices.
Many will argue that there’s always a cost in switching to a new vendor. So what happens if you’re using a Palm III and you want to upgrade to a hot new Claudia Schiffer Edition Palm Vx. Let’s assume you again already own a cradle and a keyboard. You wouldn’t need the travel charger on the Palm III-series because you’d just throw in new batteries. Even though you’d need a travel charger for the Palm V, I’m not going to factor it in because that’s a cost of new capability and I’m just looking at the cost of maintaining the status quo. The Palm Portable Keyboard (at http://www.palm.com/products/keyboard/) is $99, and the HotSync cradle for a Palm V is $49.95. So, again, you’re spending $150 bucks on top of the cost of the new Palm device just to stay even. That’s just nuts.
Let’s look at this in some depth. At my count, there are at least eleven different HotSync interfaces, shared among about 30 models. The following list is pretty interesting. Each bullet line shows the devices that share the same interface:
.BEGIN_LIST
.BULLET Pilot 1000, Pilot 5000, PalmPilot Personal, PalmPilot Professional, IBM WorkPad original;
.BULLET Palm III, Palm IIIe, Palm IIIx, Palm IIIxe, IBM WorkPad, Symbol SPT1500, TRG TRGpro;
.BULLET Palm IIIc;
.BULLET Palm V, Palm Vx, IBM WorkPad c3;
.BULLET Palm VII, Palm VIIx;
.BULLET Palm m100;
.BULLET Handspring Visor, Visor Deluxe, Visor Platinum;
.BULLET Handspring Visor Prism;
.BULLET Symbol SPT1700, SPT1733/1734, and SPT1740;
.BULLET Kyocera pdQ Smartphone 800, Kyocera Smartphone pdQ 1900;
.BULLET Sony CLIE PEG-S300.
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Nothing’s black and white when it comes to this interface. For example, the devices in the Palm III series can physically use the cradles and add-ons from the PalmPilot series, but there’s a slight difference in fit. And while the Visor Prism can use the same keyboard as the other Visor models, the Visor Prism has an internal rechargeable battery and needs its own special cradle. And, while the Palm III series and the Palm VII series look like they support the same HotSync interface, Palm.com sells separate keyboards for each of the two series. You might think I’d have a better answer to this, but I’ve actually talked to Palm’s own support people and really wasn’t able to get a more precise answer.
Interestingly, the Palm developer’s site has a hardware comparison matrix (at http://www.palmos.com/dev/tech/hardware/compare.html) that also lists the Sony CLIE PEG-S500c, which I’m assuming is a forthcoming product, probably supporting color (you heard it here, first)! Given that the other color devices have their own unique HotSync interface, we can expect yet another new HotSync interface with this device.
There has been some deliberate differentiation between manufacturers in this area. For example, the Visor shipped with USB HotSync as a way to differentiate itself. But, in the main, the HotSync (and charging, keyboard, and modem) interface has found itself changing from device to device as a side effect of new aspects of each model.
Finally, there’s even been an attempt to bridge HotSync interfaces between models using a device aptly named The Bridge (at http://www.midwestpcbdesigns.com/products.htm). This gadget (workable, but a bit clumsy) connects Palm V devices to Palm III accessories.
.H1 Call to action
This incompatibility of HotSync cradles is a double-edged sword. On one edge, the cost of upgrading accessories keeps customers from moving from manufacturer to manufacturer. On the other hand, the cost of upgrading accessories also keeps customers from upgrading within Palm’s own product line. If you’ve got to pony up another $150 or more in add-ons after the cost of buying a new Palm device, you’re going to have some second thoughts.
I think it’s time Palm took some leadership here and established a HotSync standard for all new devices. Let manufacturers compete and differentiate themselves at the other end of the unit. But make sure all devices can share basic peripherals.
Granted there’s no easy way to grandfather all the devices out there and keep costs at a reasonable level. But start now. Work with manufacturers for products due out in a year and establish that all products coming out after 2002 will share a common interface.
If PC manufacturers can agree on USB (Universal Serial Bus) and PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect), the few Palm device vendors can establish a HotSync interface standard.
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If you have strong feelings about this issue, post a note on the PowerBoards (the link is at the end of this article) or contact your favorite device manufacturers. Standardization will help grow this exciting market even more. Fractured standards lead to anarchy, and, well, the Pocket PC.
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.H1 Product availability and resources
For the Palm developer’s site hardware comparison matrix, visit http://www.palmos.com/dev/tech/hardware/compare.html.
For more information on the IBM WorkPad, visit http://www.pc.ibm.com/us/workpad/index.html.
For more information on Handspring Visors, visit http://www.handspring.com.
For more information on TRGpro, visit http://www.trgpro.com.
For more information on the Sony CLIE, visit http://www.sonystyle.com/clie.
For more information on the Kyocera Smartphone, visit http://www.kyocera-wireless.com/pdq/pdq_series.htm.
For more information on Palm OS products from Symbol, visit http://www.symbol.com/palm.
For more information on Good Technology’s SoundsGood, visit http://www.good.com.
For more information on IBM Microdrives, visit http://www.storage.ibm.com/hardsoft/diskdrdl/micro/index.htm.
For more information on the eyemodule, visit
http://www.eyemodule.com/.
For more information on the Claudia Schiffer Edition Palm Vx, visit http://www.claudiaschiffer.com/store/.
For more information on the Palm Portable Keyboard, visit http://www.palm.com/products/keyboard/.
For more information on the Bridge, visit http://www.midwestpcbdesigns.com/products.htm.
For more information about Palm computers, visit http://www.palm.com.
.H1 Bulk reprints
Bulk reprints of this article (in quantities of 100 or more) are available for a fee from Reprint Services, a ZATZ business partner. Contact them at reprints@zatz.com or by calling 1-800-217-7874.
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.BIO
.DISCUSS http://powerboards.zatz.com/cgi-bin/webx?50@@.ee6efb2
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